Amitabh Bachchan to give Holi a miss

In his recent blog, Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan has said that he will refrain from celebrating Holi this year in remembrance of the 26/11 Mumbai terror attack victims.

He wrote, "Holi, the festival of colour and rejoicing and music and dance is around the corner. It was one festival that we enjoyed liberally. The gates of the house open to all and the celebrations lasting till late in the evening from the morning. We have not done that for several years."

Big B added, "This year too Holi will be given a miss. That joyous spirit has been dampened by the atrocities that our city faced on 26/11. In its wake somewhere inside us there is a reluctance to involve ourselves in any kind of exhibition. Professional work is understandable, but private excesses do not find favour in our hearts. And so shall we respect that."

Amitabh Bachchan, whose song Rang barse from Silsila continues to be a hot favourite during the Holi season, said that he is doing the right thing. "It is the right thing to do. It would have been recommended by the elders too, in who's memory we have often refrained from such activity," he said.

Preview: Firaaq

Check out the preview of Nandita Das's directorial debut- Firaaq. -

Firaaq is an Urdu word that means both separation and quest. This film is a work of fiction, based on a thousand true stories.

The story is set over a 24-hour period, one month after a horrific communal carnage that took place in our recent history. It traces the emotional journeys of ordinary people - some who were victims, some perpetrators and some who chose to watch silently. Firaaq explores their relationships as they experience many fierce and delicate emotions of fear and prejudice, guilt and revenge, trust and betrayal and a loss of innocence that wounds the soul forever.

Hanif and Muneera, with their baby, return to a ransacked home after hiding for a month on the safer side of the city. An enraged Hanif thinks he knows who the culprit is. He is gripped by a sense of helplessness, but his anger rides above it. All he wants is a weapon, though he has never seen a gun in his life. Along with his friends, who are equally helpless, they set out to seek revenge. Meanwhile, his wife Muneera, begins to suspect her best friend, Jyoti, of betrayal.

Sanjay and Arati are a middle class couple. He is an aggressive bigot, who seems to know it all and thinks little of his wife. She is untouched by the violence in the city, until the day she slams the door on a woman who begs for shelter. Since then, Arati is haunted by the woman's cries. An encounter with a six-year old boy, Mohsin, gives her a chance to confront her guilt. But atonement isn't as easy as she thought.

Mohsin runs away from a refugee camp, where he has been living since his family was killed in the violence. He is searching for his father who was away when it all happened. His path crosses with those who themselves are in vulnerable situations. If children embody innocence, this child is losing it with every incident that he finds himself in.

Anu and Sameer are today's modern day couple, and do not wear their respective religions on their sleeves. Sameer Shaikh's ambiguous first name, is an advantage in times of violence and fear, but can also be a burden. He begins to feel the weight of his Muslim identity and in his fear he convinces Anu to leave the city. As unexpected events over take his life, Sameer is torn between the instinct to hide his identity and the need to assert it.

Ghulam Muhammad Khan Saheb, a classical vocalist, lives in a hindu neighbourhood with is trusted house-keeper Karim. The two old men are completely co-dependent, but either will be damned before they admit it. Khan Saheb is an eternal optimist and believes that music transcends all boundaries. Karim on the other hand is a realist and wonders why Khan Saheb is unable to see things as they are. This long day, however, severely tests Khan Saheb's optimism.

Through the journeys of these characters we experience the consequences of violence that impact their inner and outer lives. Violence spares nobody. Yet in the midst of all this madness, some find it in their hearts to sing hopeful songs for better times.

Farhan Akhtar delays Don 2

Few people in India

expected Farhan Akhtar's remake of the classic Don to be as successful as it was. In fact, critics and audiences were so impressed with the slick movie some even went on to say it was far better than the original. And that is a compliment few films manage.

While Farhan had announced his plans to make a sequel to Don: The Chase Begins Again, he has now said that he will only start shooting it in the summer of 2010. He said, "Don 2 requires a summer shoot and since in the summer of 2009 both me and Shah Rukh being both busy with our acting assignments the shoot for our film will only begin next summer which is of 2010."

According to reports, Farhan likes to take his time with his direction projects and not make more than one film in two or three years. He made Dil Chahta Hai in 2001, Lakshya in 2004, and Don in 2006.

Had Farhan not been so busy with his new-found career in acting, perhaps Don 2 would have come a bit earlier.

Reports say that the sequel to Don will begin where the earlier film ended. Given the surprise ending of Farhan's Don, this is actually a possibility.

When Arterton kissed Gyllenhall

Former Bond girl Gemma Arterton surprised her prince of persia:The Sands Of Time co-star Jake Gyllenhaal by shoving her tongue in his mouth while filming kissing scenes for the movie.

The actress, who plays a sixth century princess to Gyllenhaal's character of the prince, couldn't help but inject some passion into their smooch despite the pair's shared understanding that their embraces would remain relatively tame, reports contactmusic.com.

"There's an unspoken no-tongues rule on set. But I got so carried away, it kind of slipped out," she said.

Arterton maintained that the pleasure was all Gyllenhaal's. "Everyone said I was lucky to be snogging (kissing) him, but he's the lucky one," she said.

Halle Berry is sexiest black woman alive

American actress Halle Berry has been named the sexiest black woman alive in a new US TV poll.

The Oscar winner beat Tyra Banks, Alicia Keys and Jada Pinkett Smith in TV One Access' poll, which was aired in the US, reported imdb.com.

Rihanna, Iman, Janet Jackson and actresses Joy Bryant, Gabrielle Union and Kerry Washington were also in the list.